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OPINION

Third time charm or strike 3?

The Town Talk
Published 11:15 p.m. CT June 9, 2018

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A look at how Louisiana taxes rank among states

Scissors cutting through paper with the word taxes on it.(Photo: Getty Images)

There is an old saying that states, "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results." If we were to create a poster with that message, a photo of Gov. John Bel Edwards addressing the Louisiana Legislature would arguably be the perfect illustration.

Legislators have already convened three times this year -- a regular session and two special sessions. Another gathering is planned later this month to avoid significant budget cuts when the new fiscal year starts July 1.

This will be the third special session -- actually the formal term is "extraordinary session" -- this year and the seventh in the past three years. At some point you have to wonder when we'll have to stop calling the sessions "special" since the extra sessions have outnumbered regular sessions more than 2-to-1 in Gov. Edwards' term.

To recap this year's action to date, the first special session was called in February, prior to the regular session, to find revenue solutions to address the state's impending "fiscal cliff" that hits when temporary taxes end June 30. By law, the Legislature can't consider tax-generating proposals in even-numbered years during the regular session. So, if they choose to renew the temporary tax or create new ones to avoid budget cuts, they have to do it outside of the regular session.

Meeting to resolve the revenue questions before the regular session was a reasonable call by the Governor. That way lawmakers would know what dollars they would have when they got down to crafting the state budget. As it turned out, there was no agreement on how much additional revenue would be needed and members of the House stifled efforts to raise revenues at that time.

That set up round two after the regular session. Lawmakers knew the depth of expense cuts that would be needed when they created a budget based on current revenue projections. And they got a taste of the blow-back that would come from such cuts, first when the state sent letters warning elderly patients they might be evicted from nursing homes, and again when Gov. Edwards vetoed the regular session version of the budget, calling the cuts "catastrophic".

Based on that, one would think legislators had everything they needed to definitively decide what to do. The options were clear: extend some part of the expiring taxes, create some new revenue-producing vehicle, or cut expenses. Legislators could do any or all of those things. In the end, they opted just to make cuts.

At this point, we're hard pressed to see why things will be different with another session. More worrisome is the posturing already taking place, with the governor's office and the House GOP caucus, led by local Rep. Lance Harris, laying the groundwork to blame the other side if this next session ends up like the first two. Oh yes, and the Department of Corrections is ramping things up, noting as many as 10,000 inmates could be released if they don't get more money than currently proposed. It's not quite elderly folks getting kicked out of nursing homes, but talk of setting criminals free does tend to get the public's attention.

For now, we ask our leaders to find a way to comprise and reach a deal that provides the services the public needs. We understand the solution won't be perfect, and that both sides will need to make concessions they don't like. We also realize that bigger, long-term reform is not only needed, it is long overdue. We were told two years ago that it was coming, and we're still waiting. But we're realistic enough to understand all of that can't be cured between now and July 1. Both sides need to give in a little more and do what is best for Louisiana residents today, then deliver on the long-term solution.